


Unstable

by WolfAndHound_Archivist



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Marauders' Era, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-06
Updated: 2004-07-20
Packaged: 2018-05-18 15:18:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,361
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5933056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WolfAndHound_Archivist/pseuds/WolfAndHound_Archivist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set a month after Sirius told Snape about Remus, Sirius is trying to find a way to get back in Remus' good graces.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Unstable

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Lassenia, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [Wolf and Hound](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Wolf_and_Hound), which was created to make stories posted to the Sirius_Black_and_Remus_Lupin Yahoo! mailing list easier to find. However, even though I still love the fandom, I am no longer active in it and do not have the time to maintain it. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in December 2015. I posted an announcement with Open Doors, but we may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on the [Wolf and Hound collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/wolfandhound/profile).

_~~~~~~~~ You're not human you're a miracle_

A preacher with an animal's face ~~~~~~~~

Insomnia is a dirty, nasty disease. That kind of disease that afflicts people with dirty, nasty thoughts. For close to a month now, it was Sirius' curse. He now lay awake most nights, going over thoughts and memories in his head that he'd rather forget, but knew he could not. He had betrayed his best friend. Betrayed him in the worst kind of way.

However, tonight he was not the only person in his dorm room that the monster, Insomnia, had sunk it's claws into. This was a fact that made it's presence known with a sliver of light suddenly bursting through the crack in his bed curtains.

Curiously, Sirius parted the curtains a tad bit more and peeked out. What he found was Remus Lupin, his dorm mate and former best friend, standing at the window, the drapes pulled aside as he stared out at the nearly full moon. The boy was dressed only in a pair of pajama pants, and the silver light of the moon cast a surreal light over him, mapping out glowing scars across his young skin. Sirius bit his lip sympathetically, as he almost always did when he saw the remembrances of those self inflicted wounds.

As Sirius' bed was one of the beds nearest the window, it was not hard for him to study the profile of his friend, bathed in the pale light. It shadowed the lines of his slim body, highlighting the well hidden muscle tone of his deceptively small frame. Remus, despite the close scrutiny he was under, went on staring out of the window, apparently undisturbed. As he did so, Sirius noticed how his eyes began to gloss over. He took a deep breath, as an errant tear began to trickle it's way down the boy's smooth cheek. Remus, despite his apparent fragility, was very proud and swiped the fresh tear away with a bit of irritation.

Meanwhile, still spying on his friend from the safety of his bed, Sirius struggled with the decision of whether he should make his presence known. In the past, it would not have been unheard of for Sirius to comfort Remus. Quite the opposite, in fact. He was always the one who'd gone to his friend during his short bouts of depression. Since the first day they'd met on the train to Hogwart's, Sirius had sort of fancied himself Remus' protector. But things were different between the two of them now. Sirius had betrayed Remus' trust, letting his secret of being a werewolf slip to Severus Snape in a fit of blind fury. In the process, Severus and James had nearly gotten killed and Remus had nearly become a murderer. It wasn't the sort of thing one would forgive easily and Remus had made that point clear.

However, the urge to go to his friend was strong for Sirius. Add to that the fact that Sirius was sure Remus knew he was watching, though he hadn't done anything to give that impression. Remus had a way about him, where he could just sense another person, something Sirius figured had to do with his being a werewolf. The gap between them was vast, but he knew that if he didn't take this opportunity to approach Remus now that it would become staggering. It was almost as if Remus was testing him, and he'd be damned if he were going to fail.

Though he was nervous, having not approached Remus in weeks, Sirius climbed out of his bed. He was immediately acknowledged by a slight shift in Remus' body language, the tensing of his back muscles and a slight tilt of his head, though he did not turn to look at him. Sirius padded over to the window, keeping an acceptable distance between them as he spoke in a loud whisper, "You all right, Moony?" His voice was full of concern, but didn't betray the nervousness he felt.

When Remus turned his glossy eyes to Sirius, he feared his heart would shatter into a million pieces. God, he had missed him. "It's close now. Only a few more days," Remus said quietly, turning his face back to the moon. Sirius didn't speak, just continued to study the pale profile before him. "Having you guys with me has made it so much easier. So much easier that I fear going back to it alone."

Sirius wanted to reach out and touch his shoulder, grasp him comfortingly, but he didn't dare. "I'll be there with you, if you want me," he offered hopefully.

Remus shook his head slightly and Sirius' heart sunk. "I don't just mean this month, or the next or the one after that. I mean, when we all have lives of our own. When there are jobs and families and distances to worry about. And the longer you all stay with me, the harder it will be for me when you have to go."

Sirius was about to deny that he would abandon him like that, but Remus turned and started to walk back to his bed. "Moony," Sirius stopped him in his tracks. Expectantly, Remus looked back at him over his shoulder. "I'm sorry. I want you to know that I've never been more sorry of anything in my life," Sirius confessed in a rush of words, willing his voice not to crack with the emotion he felt.

Remus gave him a tired look and shook his head. "Yeah, you've said all of that already."

"Well, what do I have to do to make you believe me?" Sirius questioned desperately.

Remus gave him a small smile and said, "I do believe you, Padfoot...... but now you've got to find a way to make it up to me. Good night, Sirius." And with that, Remus climbed back into bed and pulled the curtains shut around him.

As Sirius climbed back into his bed, he vowed that he would make it up to Remus. Somehow he'd find a way.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For most of his life, this past month being one of the few exceptions, Sirius had been a very heavy sleeper. He slept hard and he slept a lot. It was the only catharsis for a boy as active as he was. It was what made waking up in the early morning a more surreal experience for him than most. Pulling apart his bed curtains, he would look out into his dorm room, surrounded by the skulking beds that looked extremely formidable in the gray light of a new dawn. All was silent and still, at this time, most everyone in the castle still asleep. Strangely, the quiet hum of the birds singing they're 'dawn song' outside the windows made everything seem quieter. Eerie.

Sirius thought that his insomnia had very little to do with him being up so early. Normally, when he's had only four hours of sleep, you'd have to set a swarm of raging Hufflepuffs on him to get him to stir, and even that might not work. Most of the Marauders slept like that, always exhausted by their mischief (and Quidditch practices, for him and James), but Remus slept fitfully. He was always the last to fall asleep and the first to be awake in the mornings, plagued through the nights by nightmares. It explained the dark bags under his eyes, which seemed a permanent feature on the pale skinned boy, and his typically sedate manner. Before "the incident", as Sirius had evasively started referring to it, Remus was usually the one who woke him in the morning, showered and dressed and determined to pull Sirius out of a deep slumber.

Strangely, it seemed to take no more than a faint rustling or a tired groan to wake him anymore. His senses had somehow wired themselves to be incredibly aware of Remus at all times. Today it was a rustle and the padding of Remus' feet on the hardwood floor to awaken Sirius. He lay in his bed silently and listened to the nearly imperceptible whine that the hinges of the door made as Remus left the room. Normally, Sirius would lay in bed and wait for the other boys to wake up before venturing out of bed himself, but the exchange from earlier emboldened him today. Frankly, he was becoming impatient with the entire situation. "The incident" had happened nearly a month ago and Remus was still holding a grudge. He said Sirius should make it up to him, but how could he do that if he continued to avoid him?

So, taking a deep breath to steel his resolve, Sirius climbed out of his own bed and gathered up some clean clothes before heading to the showers, where Remus was sure to be.

As Sirius made his way down the darkened hall, it occurred to him that approaching Remus in the **shower room** would be a bit awkward, if not a little pervy. His brow furrowed with the new thought, but he didn't turn back towards their room. He figured he might as well at least jump in the shower to wake himself up.

The bathroom he entered was one of two on their floor, an elaborate affair with mirrors all along the wall There were half a dozen sinks, half a dozen toilet stalls and sconces along the walls that burned bright orange magic flames. The effect of the lighting was rather appealing, the deep saturation of it made just about everyone appear to look their best. It was rather annoying though, that once you got out in harsh daylight you found yourself looking rather bedraggled when only moments before you thought you'd looked swell. There was a door at the end of the bathroom that led into another room, where there were half a dozen shower stalls with frosted glass enclosures. Grabbing a clean towel from a cart that had only been wheeled in by house elves moments before, Sirius headed for the showers, dropping his clean clothes on a bench, right beside Remus'.

The light in the shower room was even dimmer than in the outer chamber. There were three showers on each side of the room and the last one on the left side had steam pouring out of it. Remus obviously took his showers scalding, the better to work out his kinks with. Sirius went down to the shower opposite Remus' and opened the glass door, but he lingered for a moment. Should he greet him? He shook his head and stepped in, turning the shiny gold spigot to set out a blast of hot water. He tested the water and adjusted it to his liking before stepping in and shutting the door behind him. For a moment, he let the spray hit him directly in the face, enjoying the way the hot water seeped into the cracks of his closed eyelids.

He stood beneath the warm drought of water for long moments, relaxing as it washed away the tension in his frame along with the sweat of the day before. Just as he began lathering his hair with shampoo, he heard the sound of Remus turning off his own shower and getting out. Sirius resisted the temptation to peek his head out of his own stall, but picked up the pace a bit, quickly going through the soaping up and conditioning process. Once he was finished, he stepped out and grabbed his towel off of the stall door, wiping carelessly at the water soaking the juncture between his neck and shoulder.

When he exited the shower room, he saw Remus with his back turned to him. The other boy was already dried off and just zipping up his trousers. "Morning," Sirius greeted him, in what he hoped was a fairly nonchalant tone. Remus turned at the sound of his voice, but his eyes widened and he quickly turned away again.

Sirius looked down at his own naked body, still glistening wet from his shower. He remembered that when it came to nudity, Remus could be as downright prudish as a woman. Sirius, for his part, looked slightly abashed, though Remus couldn't notice with his back turned to him. However, Sirius made no move to cover himself. He'd never been ashamed of his body, he'd come into this world naked and that was how he hoped to leave it. He'd actually gotten himself a weeks worth of detentions when he'd made that fact known to the entire school the year before, streaking through the Great Hall during dinner hour on a dare that James had given him.

"You're up early," Remus said, seating himself on the bench as he pulled on his socks.

Though, watching the rise and fall of the tensing muscles in Remus' back wasn't entirely unappealing, Sirius wasn't keen on having a conversation with the back of his head, so he made his way around to stand before the seated boy, drying his chest as he walked. He sighed, adopting a casual tone as he spoke, "Well, such is life when you have a thoughtless prat of a dorm mate waking you up at ungodly hours of the morning."

Leaning against the counter, he shook his head like a wet dog, sending droplets of wet water flying from his black, wavy hair. Some of the water splashed against Remus' bare chest, earning an annoyed glance from him before he quickly averted his gaze again. Sirius lifted one leg and began drying his foot. "So, I was wondering," Sirius began, "if you might give me a few hints."

Remus still refused to meet Sirius' eyes as he began tugging on his sneakers a little more forcefully than one normally would. "Hints on what?" he questioned irritably.

"Hints on how I might be able to make it up to you," Sirius said, drying his hair. "Ya know, like do I have to set forth on a vision quest, slay a dragon, trudge through the fires of Mt. Augusta and retrieve the Gem of Ezrahad for you? Or would you be happy with, say, me doing all of your Transfiguration homework for the rest of the year?"

Remus tugged his t-shirt over his head and there was dull thud as he clamped his grip down on the edge of the wooden bench he was seated on. Sirius raised his eyebrows in surprise, noting that the knuckles on Remus' hands were turning white. As the other boy still had his head down, Sirius could not see his face, but his neck was beginning to turn a pretty shade of pink. Remus spoke in a harsh, yet controlled voice. "I am **not** going to have this conversation with you while you are.... **naked**."

Sirius couldn't help but smile at the little outburst in his friend. One of his favorite past times was rumpling the feathers of his normally composed comrade. "Why Remus Lupin, I dare say, you're blushing like a virgin bride on her wedding night," Sirius teased, slinging his soaked towel over his shoulder.

Finally, Remus met his eyes, staring daggers into him. Then he abruptly turned and grabbed his robes. Quickly, he got up and stomped away with the biting remark of; "Sod off, you tosser," as he left the bathroom.

"Aw, come on, Moony!" Sirius called after him, but he knew it was futile. Sirius sighed and frowned at his own naked reflection. At the time, it had seemed the most natural thing to do, teasing Remus, as he'd always done, but somewhere between "Morning" and "you tosser" he had forgotten that things were not okay between them. He muttered a curse under his breath as he began dressing, wondering if he hadn't just made things worse with his indecency.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As the day went on, Sirius had convinced himself that he was right. His behavior in the shower room had done nothing but make Remus more distant, if it were at all possible. He refused to meet Sirius' open gaze at the breakfast table. During classes he was completely mute, although he would occasionally toss a glance in Sirius' direction, but he'd blush and quickly turn away when the other boy caught his eyes. What made Sirius even more irritable happened in Potions class, when the class was told to partner up for a special project and Remus had quickly scurried over to partner up with Peter. James and Lily were partners as usual and Sirius was forced to team up with Alona Morgan, a pretty but overly hyper Hufflepuff who'd had an obvious crush on him since first year.

The cherry on Sirius' pain sundae was when Alona inquired about the tension between him and Remus. "So, Remus is still mad at you, huh?" Alona had asked, her voice laced with sympathy. "What'd you do to make him so upset? It must have been something pretty bad. He didn't fancy Alicia, did he? You're not still seeing her are you, Sirius?"

Sirius, never the one to unleash his anger on the fairer sex, gritted his teeth and gave noncommittal answers to all of her thousands and thousands of questions. By the end of the session, his mood had gone from stormy and murky to downright black. He was angry, he was frustrated and he was in no damned mood to do anything but sit around and have a good brood. Unfortunately, he still had to meet James and Lily in the library to start work on their DADA essays, closely followed by Quidditch practice.

Heading to the library, after taking a quick break in the kitchen to grab something to eat, Sirius' steps became more purposeful. He was just going to have to drag Remus into a dark corner of the library, kicking and screaming if it came down to that, and make him accept his apology. There was no room for argument here. Sirius knew that Remus still had a lot of inner turmoil, and normally he'd be content to the let the teenage werewolf work it on his own. However, Sirius also knew that he was quite selfish and he didn't give a damn about anyone's inner turmoil unless it corresponded with his own. Not even Moony's.

Once he entered the library, the purpose fell from his step and the determination he'd had before just disappeared. He spotted Lily and James quietly conversing at a table. Alone. Moony wasn't there. He knew he could skip out on his study session and go to find Remus, but his confidence in himself faltered when he realized that the probable reason for Remus' absence was him. He was avoiding him and, really, who could blame him? Sirius was a terrible, terrible person. Not really fit to be in the presence of such an innocent and perfect human being like Remus Lupin. These were the types of thoughts Sirius had as he trudged across the library solemnly and plopped down in a chair across from his two friends. Sirius sighed, at least he still had these two cads.

"Hey, Padfoot," James said, turning his attention away from whispering something in Lily's ear. Probably something naughty, Sirius thought, by the flushed look on Lily's face.

Speaking of the fair redhead, as soon as she saw him, she let out a sweetly sympathetic 'awwwwwww'. "Sirius, you look dreadful," she said, nervously. "You haven't been sleeping well have you?"

Sirius didn't answer her question, just lifted his chin haughtily as if to say, 'Real men don't need sleep anyway.'

Lily's chair made a scraping sound as she quickly got up and rounded the table. Once on Sirius' side, she leaned down and wrapped her arms around Sirius' neck comfortingly. Her touch was **almost** motherly and try as he might to hold tight to his manly apathy, he leaned his head back into her, accepting her concern readily.

"Remus will come around, Sirius. He never can stay mad at you, you charmer," Lily told him, and ruffled his hair before she went back to take her place next to James. Sirius noted that his wiry, bespectacled friend didn't look as optimistic as his girlfriend, but he didn't say a word.

Sirius began pulling his books out of his bag, resigning himself to a Moony-free study session when Lily said, "Ugh," in an irritated voice. "Severus Snape, that rat."

Sirius jerked his head up and saw Lily casting a cold glare over her shoulder at the aforementioned Slytherin. Sirius quickly joined her with an even colder and much fiercer glare. The lanky, olive skinned Severus met Sirius' eyes through the shade of the jet black hair that fell over his right eye. His black eyes narrowed and he curled his lip disdainfully before turning away. Snape's chum, Rosier, also noticed Lily and Sirius glaring in their direction, and leaned over to say something to his fellow Slytherin. They shared a devious chuckle before dismissing the Gryffindors completely.

"Oo, I hate those two," Lily bit out as she spun her head back around towards Sirius. "Snape's at it again with Remus too. If he sends Remus one more of those dreadful letters I'll hex that smarmy git myself, and I'm a pacifist."

"Lily!" James said with dismay and glared at his girlfriend, but it was too late.

"What letters?" Sirius said, leaning across table so he was only a few inches away from his friends. His eyebrows knit together and his eyes darkened, his pupils so dilated that they were nearly black with just a sliver of pale gray rimming them.

"There are no letters," James said quickly, giving Sirius a determined and angry glare. "Just leave it."

"Sod off, Potter," Sirius told him gruffly. He then turned his eyes to Lily, whose green eyes widened , making her resemble a deer caught in the headlights of and on-coming car. "Now, Lily, what was that about some letters that Snape's been sending to Remus?"

"Um, what letters? I don't remember saying anything about any letters," Lily said, avoiding Sirius' gaze nervously.

"Lily!"

James took this moment to lean across the table and get in Sirius' face. "Don't try bullying my girlfriend, Black. There are no letters, and even if there were we wouldn't tell you about it."

Sirius had turned his gaze back to his best friend and was returning his stare angrily. "And why's that, Jamie? Suddenly, I'm not good enough to be let in on your secrets?"

James grit his teeth, growing more angry by the second, especially after being called by the hated nickname that only his mother was allowed to use for him. "No, because you're too bloody unstable, you twat."

Sirius faintly heard Lily gasp, but he was too astounded to really notice. He swallowed thickly and stared back at James, for a long second. He knew something in the way he looked had made James regret his words because he began to apologize. "Look, Sir, I didn't mean it like that," James began, but didn't get a chance to finish as Sirius jumped to his feet, sending his chair scraping across the floor.

"Fuck you, Potter!" he told his best friend, before snatching up his book bag and stomping out of the library.

James and Lily could hear loud laughing and turned to see Snape and Rosier in a fit of chuckles. "S'matter, Potter? You have a lover's quarrel?" Rosier asked between laughs.

"Real original, Rosier. You're so cool I can barely stand it," James said sarcastically, before turning solemnly to Lily.

"You know, James, maybe we should have just told Sirius about the letters that Snape's been sending to Remus. It doesn't seem fair to be leaving him out of things. And he might be able to do something to get Snape to stop. Like beating him into a bloody pulp," Lily said.

"Yeah, I'm just not sure that Sirius would stop there," James said darkly. "Look, Lil, I don't like keeping things from Sirius, but it's better for his own sake that we don't tell him things that are might make him kinda......homicidal. 'Sides, Remus asked us not to."

Lily nodded and put her arm around James' shoulder as he stared down at the table, in deep contemplation.


	2. Chapter Two

After Sirius left Lily and James, he stomped around the castle aimlessly, considering his situation. His anger and self-pity was making it nearly impossible for him to think clearly. Finally, he made his way back to the Gryffindor common room, thinking he'd try to get in a nap before Quidditch practice, or maybe just skip practice all together. However, when he got to the common room and saw Peter, a thought occurred to him. Who, of all the Marauders, was the easiest to bully?

Sirius lowered his head and squared his shoulders, knowing that this was his most intimidating pose, and stalked over to the table that Peter was reading at. Sirius tossed his bag on a chair before placing his tall frame next to Peter, casting a shadow over the other boy's homework. Nervously, Sirius' chubby friend looked up at him and swallowed. Peter was a coward, they all knew, but to his credit, he was not very stupid. He knew all of his friends well. He especially knew the stance that Sirius adopted when he was prepared to bully something out of him, and it was generally always something that James would not approve of Sirius knowing. Peter bit his lower lip and stared up at Sirius, now all he had to do was figure out who was the most formidable opponent on the matter at hand, depending on what the matter at hand happened to be.

Sirius pressed his palms against the table top and leaned down to stare at Peter through the fringe of his dark eyelashes. "Tell me about the letters, Wormtail," he told the pink faced boy.

"W-what letters would those be, Padfoot?" Peter managed to stutter out.

"Don't bother trying to size me up, Peter," Sirius bit out furiously. "If you mess me about, I promise James won't be able to save you from me this time. Now talk or it's the toilets for you."

Sirius' relationship with Peter was a simple one indeed. It was probably the only relationship that he truly understood. Peter was, although the term was a bit crude, Sirius' bitch. The way that he saw it, he was the only person in the school that was allowed to bully him without there being strong repercussions. Although, James liked to be Peter's savior and at times even Sirius wasn't safe from James' heroism, unless he was really, **really** determined. And he was really determined right now.

Peter looked down at his book and closed it calmly. "I suppose that you're speaking of the notes that Snape's been dropping to Remus. I suppose I should mention that he asked me not to tell you. And James threatened me with death."

"The notes, what do they say?" Sirius asked as he pulled out a chair and seated himself in it.

"Rather a lot of unpleasant things. 'Lupin, you're evil, a creature of darkness, you deserve to be put down, blah, blah, blah. Some day I'll expose you for the hellbeast you are, blah, blah, blah.' Although, I must say that he was much more eloquent then that," Peter tattled. Now that he was resigned to his fate, his words came out much easier. "That's not all either. Occasionally, Snape will corner Remus and say all the same things to him face to face. I've seen him do it and it rather looks like he's whispering sweet nothings into Moony's ear, if you could ignore the sick look on poor Remus' face. You don't suppose he fancies Remus, do you?" Peter scooted his chair back when Sirius' face turned a deep, angry red. Obviously, this had not been the right thing to say to Sirius. Perhaps **Sirius** fancied Remus. Peter took this little nugget and stored it for further contemplation at a later time. "Sirius, I would have told you, but James' argument was rather sound We really can't trust you when it comes to Snape, you know after you tried to get him killed and all. By Remus-wolf no less." At this point, Sirius looked like he was about to reach over and start strangling Peter, so he smartly jumped out of his seat and put the table between them. "Hear me out now, Sirius. I just think that you might want to handle this situation a bit differently then you normally would. Remus doesn't trust you anymore and can you really blame him? You need to think of a logical way to get back at Snape. The way I see it, Snape isn't really as angry with Remus as he is with you, but he knows that the best way to get at you is through him. And for Merlin's sake, remember what Dumbledore said about expulsion and don't go pounding Snape into a pulp."

Sirius continued to look flustered, but the death look on his face seemed to waver and Peter relaxed and took his seat back up. "He misses you, Padfoot, I can tell. You have the power to fix this, if you could just get past your stubborn pride," Peter told him compassionately.

Sirius sighed and nodded. Peter thought he saw resignation in the lines and shadows of his friend's face. "I'll tell James that I just ran-sacked Moony's trunk and found the notes," Sirius told him as he stood.

"Why didn't you just do that instead of bullying it out of me and making me feel dreadful?" Peter asked in a slightly whiney voice.

Sirius shrugged, "Just wouldn't seem right, going through Moony's stuff like that."

"But you're more than comfortable with making me feel like a total tosser for ratting out my mates," Peter said a bit disbelievingly. "You're a complete bastard, Sirius."

"I'm beginning to realize this, thanks," Sirius told him before turning away and trotting off. He scooped up his book bag and headed up to the dorm room, leaving Peter with a slight pout on his lips.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Once in the room that he shared with five other boys, Sirius slammed the door shut. He was fuming, breathing heavily, his shoulders rising and falling and hitching. With an extreme force, he threw his bag full of books, and although the room was a good thirty feet long, the bag managed to hit the far wall with a resounding thump. Stalking further into the room, Sirius sought something to take his aggressions out on and found himself kicking the trunk at the end of his bed with such ferocity that he left many dents in it. All the while, he screamed belligerently, "Stupid, fucking tosser!! Fucking, bloody arsehole!!" Finally, the force of his kicks sent his foot through the thin woods and his boot was momentarily caught.

With a loud bellow, Sirius twisted his foot free and turned to wallop at the next thing he saw, the tall armoire beside his bed. The knuckles of his fist crunched as he punched the strong wood with all his might, still screaming insanely, each word punctuated with a new assault. "Ugly, greasy-haired, big-nosed, Slytherin cunt!!!" By this time, the knuckles on both his fists were broken and streaming with blood. The pain furled through his hands and heightened his anger, smartly he quit his attack at the armoire with his fists and began kicking it as he had his trunk.

Who knew how long this tantrum might have lasted had Sirius not been grabbed from behind. Incredibly strong arms encircled him, pinning his arms to his sides. Sirius twisted around furiously, spitting out all sorts of profanities at his attacker, ignoring the tears streaming down his cheeks as he tried to kick out at the person behind him. It wasn't until he heard a calm voice whispering gently in his ear, "Calm down, Sirius. I've got you, I've got you." Subconsciously, he'd known all along that it was Remus grasping him, his gentle strength was all too familiar to Sirius. He also knew that of all the boys he shared the dorm with, that Remus was the only one who was strong enough to hold him when he did not want to be held. His shoulders began to hitch with sobs he tried to hold in as he relaxed resignedly back into Remus, tired and sad. No longer did his trembling legs want to hold him and he began to sink to the floor, Remus following him, his arms still wrapped tightly around him. The two boys sat on the floor, legs sprawled, Sirius seated between Remus'. Sirius leaned back, mumbling apologies nearly incoherent. He turned his head and pressed his face against Remus' neck, his hot tears burning a trail down Remus' skin. "I'm so, so sorry, Remus. I only wanted to protect you from him. I hadn't meant it that way, I wasn't thinking straight, do I ever? The way he harassed you, I thought if he knew what you were it would scare him off, I hadn't even thought that you might try to kill him, maybe I did, maybe I wanted him dead for the way that he was treating you. I didn't mean it, I didn't. I just wanted you to be safe from him and now I've only made it worse."

As Sirius babbled on, Remus stroked his hair, his back, whispering that it was all right, shh-ing him gently, Sirius thought he felt Remus press his lips against his forehead. Desperately, Sirius tried to turn around in Remus' arms, to look into his eyes, but Remus held him tightly and wouldn't permit it. "I'm going to make it right again, Remus. I want you to trust me again," Sirius said, gripping Remus' forearm tightly.

"Sit up now, Padfoot," Remus told him, guiding him with his hand. Sirius did as he was told, crossing his legs Indian-style. Remus got to his knees and scooted himself along the floor until he was facing Sirius. Remus pulled his wand out of the pocket of his robes and with his other hand took one of Sirius' wrists and raised his hand for inspection. "Look what you've done to yourself," Remus whispered softly, inspecting the broken knuckles and bloodied cuts.

Without another word, he went about healing the wounds and bones with spells that he'd memorized from having them performed on himself many times over. Once he was done, he set about on the other hand as Sirius studied him intently. His eyes swept over his friend's pale face, jumping from one pale scar to the next, the slightly arched brows that hovered over his compassionate and expressive, amber eyes. He memorized the straight plain of his nose and the rosy colored lips. He sucked in a breath when Remus caught his lower lip between his perfect little teeth in deep concentration Sirius swallowed and blinked away fresh tears when a realization came to him. The words escaped his lips before he even had a chance to think about them. "I love you."

Remus jerked his eyes up and stared at him in astonishment. He sucked in a deep breath, as if he were about to say something in return, but his gaze flickered away in confusion. Sirius tried to gauge his reaction from his eyes, but Remus would not look at him. Without a word, Remus finished healing Sirius' hands and jumped up as soon as he was finished. He looked down at Sirius for a moment and looked again as if he were going to say something, but he didn't. He shook his head once and then walked away, opening the door of the room and quickly slipping out and away from Sirius' confession.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After Remus left him, Sirius had climbed into his bed and drifted into a fitful sleep. He was dragged out of his nap by someone jostling him awake and he growled slightly as he pried his eyes open. Had it been anybody other than Lily seated at the edge of his bed, Sirius might have flown into a rage at having been disturbed. But, as it were, Sirius could never bring himself to get angry at her. She cocked her head and gave him a small smile as he stared up at her through sleep-blurred eyes. She was dressed in her maroon Quidditch robes, her wavy red hair rippling down over her shoulders. Sirius had always thought that the robes were a bit unflattering for her, the color clashing with her vibrant hair, but there was no arguing that she was the best Chaser on the Gryffindor team.

"Thought I'd come and see if you planned on going to practice today," she offered him as he pulled himself up into a sitting position.

"Took it upon yourself, did you? And maybe you're just leaving out the part where your coward boyfriend asked you to do it in his place," Sirius said bitterly.

Lily's eyebrows furrowed a bit angrily at Sirius' brusque attitude. She truly wasn't used to him venting his frustration on her. "James is far from a coward, you should know that better than anybody, Sirius Black. He feels dreadful for what he said to you today and he was more than ready to let you skip practice and give you a little time to brood. It was me who decided to come up here, **against** James' wishes, mind you. It won't do to let you dwell on it. The longer you let it fester the harder it will be for you two sods to make up. You two can be such children when you bicker, and you make the rest of us miserable when you do it."

Sirius sighed and rubbed his fingers over his temples, as if he had a headache. "No, you're right," he began. "James is right. I am unstable. I'm a stupid, unstable git and I probably should have been locked up in Azkaban for what I done. Wish I could take it back, that's what I wish more than anything. If I could, Remus would still trust me, James would. I might still trust myself." Sirius left off with another deep sigh.

Lily cocked her head in sympathy and took one of Sirius' hands. "I trust you, Sirius. I do. What you did was wrong, I don't deny that, but I thought about doing it it myself a couple of times. Maybe not the way you did, but I wanted to do something dreadful to Severus Snape and I sometimes still do. Unfortunately, we can't all do everything that we wish to do, especially if we're going to hurt someone we love in the process."

Sirius grimaced at her choice of words, remembering that only a while ago he'd confessed to Remus that he loved him and Remus hadn't responded at all. He thought it might have hurt less if Remus had told him that he didn't love him back than giving him nothing back in return. Lily watched Sirius for a moment, then she released his hand and stood up. "Now, I'm going to go to practice. We have to be up to par for that match against Slytherin. Come with me, Sirius. We need you."

Sirius looked up at her and she had to restrain herself from wrapping him up in a tight hug, he looked that sad and lost. However, he swung his legs off of his bed and stood up. "Go on ahead of me, Lil. I'm just going to change real quick." Lily gave him a huge smile and nod then left him to change.

Sirius quickly pulled his Quidditch robes out of his broken trunk and shrugged into them as he headed for the door. He trotted down the stairs, through the common room and out of the portrait hole. When he realized just how late for practice he was going to be, he broke into a run. Lily met up with him just outside of the locker room and thrust his broom into his hand as she fell into step with him and they made their way together to the Quidditch field. The rest of the team were already in the air, practicing drills, but James descended when he saw them. "Glad you two could see fit to join us," he remarked as he dismounted his broom and walked over to them.

"Sorry about that, Cap'n. Got a tad bit detained," Lily said with a smirk as mounted her broom and kicked up into the air.

James and Sirius stood on the field for a moment, silently sizing each other up. When James opened his mouth to speak, Sirius quickly cut him off. "Keep it shut there, Potter. Smart men don't apologize when they know they're right," he told his best friend.

Sirius gave James a crooked grin and the other boy smiled back. They both mounted their brooms and James kicked off. Sirius was about to do the same when he saw something out of the corner of his eye. High up in the stands, he saw an unmistakable figure watching the practice. Or, more accurately, watching him. Slowly, Sirius raised his hand and waved. He waited and then the other boy waved back. Sirius mounted his broom and kicked off of the ground, soaring into the air.

Sirius was instantly happy that he'd chosen to come to practice. James and he had come up with a new formation the other day that depended mostly on him and the other Beater and they wouldn't have had time to put it into effect if he'd skipped today's practice. The other players on the team caught on quickly and the new formation was looking like it might be very promising indeed. Throughout the practice, Sirius continued to glance over to where Remus was seated in the stands, switching between watching them and reading from one of his school books. After knocking a bludger into Lily's path, Sirius circled around to look over in Remus' direction again, but he noticed that this time Remus wasn't alone.

Immediately, his temperature went up when he realized who it was that was seated next to Remus in the stands. The long, sleek, black hair was unmistakable even from this distance. Snape was seated so closely to Remus that their black robes seemed to be melted together Sirius hovered in the air for a few moments, silently seething in anger as he squinted down at the two boys seated in the bleachers. Sirius faintly heard James yelling for him to pay attention and this was actually what spurred him into action. He tilted the handle of his broom down and plummeted through the air, it drummed in his ears along with his execrated heartbeat as he aimed straight for the two figures in the stands. He was closing the distance quickly and wasn't but a few feet away when they finally noticed him headed for them. Remus jumped away quickly to one side as Snape scrambled to the other side shouting at Sirius as he did so.

With surprising grace, Sirius landed in the stands with his back to Remus, his dark gaze pinned to Snape, who was straightening his robes haughtily. "I hope you're proud of yourself, Black. That's the second time you've almost killed me in just barely over a month. Is this something you're going to be making a habit of?" he asked in a clipped voice.

"Sirius, just go away!" Remus yelled from behind him.

"Shut up, Remus!" Sirius yelled back without even turning to face him. "I've got something I want to discuss with Snape."

Sirius dismounted his broomstick and tossed it to the side. He locked his pale gray eyes with Snape's black ones and slowly he walked over to him until they were just mere inches away from each other. Despite Snape's obvious nervousness, he held his ground, his chin proudly lifted as he returned Sirius' glare. This time when Sirius spoke it was in a low whisper that only Snape could hear. "I'm sorry for what I did to you, Snape, be sure of that. But I'm not sorry because I almost got you killed, I'm sorry because I almost made my best friend a murderer. Since you don't have any real friends I don't expect you to understand why I did what I did. I'm admitting that I did you wrong and now I'm giving you just one chance to take all that pent up hostility out on the person you really hate."

Snape sneered at Sirius, "What are you going on about this time, Black? I never expected you to be repentant for the crime you committed against me."

"You think you're a real big man, Snape. Think you're real clever, picking on Remus because he won't fight you back. He could snap you in half and you know, but he won't because he's better than that.....but I'm not. Neither are you," Sirius told him. He smirked and cocked his head at the unveiled hate that shone in Snape's eyes. "So, why don't you just hit me, Snape. Show us all what a bad ass you are and hit me."

"What? So that you have the perfect excuse to the thrash me again, Black? You must think I'm a real idiot," Snape said incredulously.

"I don't need an excuse to thrash you other than the fact that your mere existence is a blight on the entire wizarding world. And I only think you're an idiot if you pass up this chance. Hit me!" This time Sirius poked Snape in the chest, causing him to step back in irritation. "Hit me, you silly, little pouf!" He poked Snape again.

"Sirius, leave 'im!" Remus yelled again, but Sirius didn't let up.

Again he poked at Snape, in the ribs this time. "Hit me, hit me, hit me," he taunted in a disgustingly sing-song voice. From the air the rest of the Quidditch team watched the interaction out of curiosity. James was about to descend and break it up, but Lily grabbed a hold of his elbow before he could. He turned and glared at his girlfriend, but she shook her head firmly. Down in the stands, Sirius continued to taunt Snape, poking his finger in his chest so hard that it sent the other boy staggering back over and over again. "Do it, you coward!"

"Sirius!" Remus cried angrily behind him. "Please stop!"

Sirius sighed at the urgent sound in his friends voice and turned to him slightly. That was the moment Snape took to catch him off guard, clipping him across the jaw and jerking his head slightly. Sirius brought his hand up to his jaw in surprise, but felt only a small ache where Snape's fist had connected. He thought about for a moment and looked at Snape curiously. The other boy looked pissed off, pumped up, and even a little scared. Then Sirius just started to laugh. It was just a chuckle at first then a full out guffaw. "What was that, mate? A love tap? You don't fancy me, do ya, Snapey?" That seemed to do it. Snape punched Sirius again, this time connecting to Sirius' eye with so much force that he sent Sirius sprawling over the bleachers. The force of the blow hadn't however knocked the giggles out of him and the sight of Sirius trying to pull himself into an upright position while in the midst of a full on attack of hysterical laughter only flamed the fire in Snape even more. This time, with a bellow that sounded oddly like a battle cry, Snape tackled Sirius and the two of them fell awkwardly between the bleachers. Snape quickly pushed himself up so that he was straddling Sirius' waist and as the boy beneath him continued to cackle maniacally, Snape began to blindly strike out at him. He bludgeoned him around the face, bloodying his nose, blackening both eyes and splitting his lip. Snape's own knuckles were now bloodied with cuts from connecting with Sirius' teeth, but his anger only became more fierce as Sirius continued to laugh and laugh and laugh. He could hardly breath and his side was beginning to hurt worse then his swollen face did, but for some reason Sirius could not stop laughing. He'd never laughed this hard in his life.

Finally, his shock wearing off, unable to stand idly by any longer, Remus went to Sirius' aid. Smoothly avoiding Snape's flailing fists, Remus hooked his arms around Snape's and he dragged him off of his bloodied and bruised friend. Snape continued to struggle as Sirius continued to laugh. Angrily, Remus tossed Snape away and stood between him and Sirius. Having landed a bit unceremoniously, Snape got to his knees then pushed himself to his feet. "He's mad, bloody-well mad!" Snape cried to Remus.

Remus glared back him, "Yeah, and I guess you're totally stable."

By now, the rest of the Quidditch team had landed and dismounted. Remus turned his back on Snape and watched as James and Riley Finnigan helped Sirius to his feet. Sirius' shoulders continued to hitch with sporadic giggles, but they were beginning to taper off. Remus jumped when he heard the angry voice of Professor McGonagall shouting as she stomped up the bleachers. "What in Merlin's name is going on here?! Sirius Black you will surely drive me into an early grave with all of you shenanigans!" The headmistress stopped her rants abruptly with a gasp when she took one look at Sirius' battered face.

"James, what's happened to his face?" she asked, obviously shaken to see Sirius' handsome face so horribly swollen. It was not uncommon to find him with a blackened eye or a swollen lip, as he was often in trouble for fighting, but as he was always the boy to come out on top in a fight, she'd never seen him so bloodied.

"No worries, Minerva," Sirius slurred between his cracked lips. "I'm in corking good shape. Just a couple of scratches really."

"He and Snape got in a fight, Professor," James finally answered.

The professor turned to Snape who was standing with his shoulders squared, his chin lifted defiantly as he stared back at her over Remus' shoulder through the strands of his tousled hair. Professor McGonagall lifted one of her eyebrows quizzically and turned back to James "You expect me to believe that **Severus Snape** did this to Sirius?" she asked disbelievingly.

"Yes, ma'm, because it's the truth," James said.

"James cannot tell a lie, ma'm," Sirius said, hanging drunkenly between James and Riley Finnigan. "He's a very reliable young man."

"To Snape's credit, madam, Sirius was really asking for it," Remus interjected.

"Be that as it may, Hogwart's does not look kindly upon violence of any kind, Mr. Lupin," she told him sternly. "Please, relieve Mr. Finnigan of his burden, Mr. Lupin. I believe the Head Master will want to hear your version of the events here after you and Mr. Potter take Mr. Black to the hospital wing. Mr. Snape and I will go directly to the Head Master. Come along, Mr. Snape."

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	3. Chapter Three

Sirius had blessedly lost consciousness on the way to the hospital wing. As neither James nor Remus knew the spell to charm up a stretcher, Remus had carried Sirius the rest of the way in his arms. James had made a pithy comment about Sirius resembling a bride being carried over the threshold, but Remus ignored it. Madam Pomfrey gasped when she laid eyes on Sirius and quickly led Remus over to a bed where he deposited his friend. Then she didn't spare any time bustling the two boys out of the room before she went about healing all of Sirius' many bruises and cuts.

Sirius awoke only thirty minutes later, completely healed except for his aching knuckles which Remus hadn't healed completely early. He decided he wouldn't mention it to Madam Pomfrey. The curtains were pulled around his bed, but he could hear the voice of Madam Pomfrey speaking to someone nearby and he assumed it must have been the next bed over. "I don't know what got into you, Severus Snape. I know that you can be a very hateful boy, but I never thought you capable of so much violence," the witch said reprimandingly.

"With all due respect, Madam, I don't see that it's any of your business," Snape's haughty voice returned.

"It's my business when I have to spend precious time trying to heal a handsome face like Sirius Black's," Madam Pomfrey bit out angrily.

"And I suppose you've gotten rather used to healing up my sallow face, have you?" Snape asked bitterly.

"I'm not going to argue with you, child. Eat this chocolate bar and scadattle once you're done with it. Your hands have mended nicely." Sirius heard Madam Pomfrey walk away and the sounds of her opening and closing the door. He took this opportunity to sit up and swing his legs over the edge of the bed. He felt dizzy for a moment and let it wear off before attempting movement again. Once the vertigo passed, Sirius reached out and pulled the curtains around his bed open and found himself face to face with a surly looking Severus Snape. As Snape stared back at him, his lip curled in disgust, his black eyes shadowed by the wisps of black hair that hung around his face, Sirius took a short moment to size him up. This close up, Sirius could see that his hair wasn't really greasy, as it usually looked, it was just so black and so soft that the light shining off of it gave it that appearance. His skin was a pale olive color, which made Sirius wonder of what descent Snape was. His eyes were a startling, coal black. He wasn't an unattractive boy, but bitterness had left early lines in his forehead and deep shadows beneath his eyes. Sirius had never taken any time to go over what it was that made Snape the detestable character that he was, but now he was finding himself with a surprising sympathy for this friendless, cold Slytherin seated across from him.

"Has everyone heard then? How Severus Snape finally got the better of Sirius Black?" he questioned his enemy in a calm voice.

"I would suppose so. Gryffindors aren't exactly known for being able to keep their mouths shut over matters that do not concern them. Although, I'm sure they've twisted the story around to suit them, painting you as the victimized hero and me as the detestable villain," Snape said bitterly.

"As long as they get the essentials right, what does it matter? If the Slytherins hear that you gave me a walloping, do you think they'll really care what the circumstances were? They'll see **you** as the hero and me as the senseless git that I am," Sirius retorted soberly.

"And in all actuality, you're nothing but a blithering maniac," Snape bit out and stood up. He moved to leave the room, but Sirius quickly got to his feet and grabbed him by the elbow, jerking him to a halt. Snape turned around with hate in his eyes, seething with an anger that only Sirius seemed able to invoke in him.

"We'll let all of them believe what they like," Sirius said, hunching down so that his face was only inches from Snape's. "You and I know the real score, don't we? I know about the notes you've been dropping Remus, I know that you get your kicks by harassing him and I'm only going to say this once. Leave. Him. Be. If I hear that you so much as give him a dirty look, I'll kill you. James won't be able to save you from me a second time. No one will. You cause Remus one more problem and I will bathe myself in your blood, Severus."

Having completed his threat, Sirius released Snape and he went stumbling back. Snape had become even paler, but he couldn't speak for a moment. Finally, the Slytherin was able to find his voice. "You're completely crazy, Black. If I doubted it before, I never will again"

"I'm starting to think that maybe you're right about that, Snape," Sirius responded, then went back to his hospital bed and closed the curtains again. He listened as Snape quickly left the room.

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It took quite a bit of arguing with Madam Pomfrey, but Sirius finally managed to get her to release him from the hospital wing. He told her that he found it very difficult to get to sleep in any bed that wasn't his own, which wasn't a complete lie, and though she thought it better for him to stay, he'd managed to charm her in to releasing him. It was a quarter past eleven before he made his way back to the Gryffindor common room and he didn't really expect anyone to be up this late, or he hoped that no one was because he wanted to postpone all of his explanations until at least the next morning. When he got to the portrait of the Fat Lady, he mumbled the word, "Flobberworm," and the portrait swung open.

Sirius ducked into the hole and the portrait shut behind him. The common room was dark, except for the blazing fire the house elves had lit, and it was almost completely empty, save for the lone boy that rose from the couch before the fireplace when Sirius came in Sirius stood for a moment, contemplating the other boy, whose face was bathed in shadows, the fire dancing behind him and outlining his slim body perfectly. He sucked in a deep breath and held it as he moved towards Remus, squinting his eyes to make out the expression on his face. Remus stood stock still as Sirius advanced towards him, his face a mask of expectant nervousness. Sirius stopped a few feet away from him. "You waited up for me," he stated.

"I did," Remus confirmed, slowly seating himself on the leather couch once more. For a moment, he looked up at Sirius, who took a moment to really examine him now that his face was bathed in the glow from the fire. He looked tired, but slightly less withdrawn than he'd been lately. Remus reclaimed his seat on the couch and Sirius sat beside him, leaving a comfortable amount of space between them. "That was quite a show today," Remus began, looking down at his lap.

"Oh, yeah?" Sirius said and feigned a smile. "Which part did you like the best? The part where I called Snape a pouf or the part where I brutally attacked his fists with my face? I bet he didn't see that one coming."

Remus looked back up at him, a small smile playing at the corner of his lips. "I kinda liked the part where I stepped in and saved you," he said in his teasing voice.

"Oh, I think I missed that part, what with my losing all grasp on reality. Sorry."

Remus just continued to give him that knowing smile of his, blinking his eyes a couple of times in a rather fetching way. Sirius sighed and leaned back against the couch, draping his left arm over the top of it. They shared a few moments of companionable silence before Sirius finally broke the moment. "So, did that make up for...well, ya know?" Sirius asked.

Remus shrugged and leaned his shoulder against the couch He was twisted to the side so that he could face Sirius. "It wasn't exactly what I was expecting," he admitted.

"Well, if my blood wasn't good enough for you, then I don't know what else I have to give," Sirius said a bit solemnly.

Remus tilted his head a bit and gave Sirius a sad look. "It was good enough, Sirius. It was plenty good enough."

Sirius thought about that a moment, not really thinking that it was. Not really thinking he was good enough for Remus at all. He watched his good friend, and wondered when it had been that he'd become so much more than that. He couldn't really recall when he'd stopped thinking of him as just one of his mates, but he had a sneaking suspicion that it had something to do with Padfoot and Moony. He wanted to reach out and touch Remus' hair, brush away the soft strands that were threatening to fall over his eyes and shield him from the intense gaze in those amber depths. He didn't dare. He swallowed at the lump in his throat, opted to give him his trademark grin instead and to turn it all into a joke. If he joked it away, he wouldn't have to worry about being rejected. "So, does this mean we can kiss and make up?" he asked, the smile reaching his eyes. He added a little eyebrow wiggle to go along with it.

Remus didn't smile back at his joke and Sirius' grin fell away as he wondered if he'd said the wrong thing. He was completely unprepared when Remus leaned over and pressed his lips to his cheek, right on the very corner of his lips. It was brief and very chaste, the kind of kiss that he gave Lily when they parted ways at the end of term, but Sirius knew that it meant much more than all that. When Remus pulled away, Sirius quickly brought his fingertips up to touch the place where Remus' lips had just been. His eyes were wide in surprise and he sought for something say in response. "I hadn't really meant that in a literal sense...." Remus quickly looked down into his lap and Sirius could just barely see the color of his face changing. "Sorry, it was just...impulse, I guess. I didn't mean anything by it," Remus explained quickly, but Sirius was barely even listening to him. His hand moved out of lap and went to cup Remus' jaw lightly and he jerked his eyes back up to meet with Sirius'. Not sparing a moment for second thoughts, Sirius swooped in and pressed his lips firmly against Remus'. It was awkward at first, but that didn't last long as Sirius used his experience to his advantage, molding his lips perfectly against the other boy's. Sirius' other hand came down from the back of the sofa to tangle itself up in Remus' silky hair as he sucked and nipped Remus' lower lip lightly. Remus propped one hand against Sirius' knee and grasped a handful of his robes with the other. Remus' lips parted slightly beneath Sirius' in a small sigh and Sirius drank in his breath before taking the opportunity to slip his tongue between Remus' lips. He slid the tip along Remus' smooth teeth until he felt Remus' tongue flicker out in response.

Sirius groaned into Remus' mouth, his head dizzy from the scent and taste of the other boy. Firmly, he began to press Remus back against the couch, hovering over him on his knees and one trembling arm, as he kissed him. Finally, Remus had to pull away and take a few gasping breaths, while Sirius continued to playfully nip at his lips with his blunt teeth. Sirius could feel Remus smiling against his lips and pulled back to look down into his glowing face. Remus cupped the back of Sirius' neck and pressed his forehead to his, saying, "Now this is more what I had in mind when I asked you to make it up to me," before slipping his tongue between Sirius' lips again.

This time their kiss was less experimental and more fierce as their tongues and teeth clashed together. Remus moaned and his back arched away from the couch, seeking Sirius' body heat. Impatiently, he wrapped his arms around Sirius and dragged him down so that their bodies were pressed tightly against each other, Sirius crushing Remus in the most intoxicating way. Each boy could tell how excited the other was becoming, which only served to intensify their lust even more. When Sirius' lips broke away from Remus' to trail over his chin and down his neck, Remus began whimpering, his hips raising away from the couch so that the evidence of his excitement pressed against Sirius' stomach. Sirius chuckled against Remus' moist skin then began to lick slowly over his collar bone as he slid his hands beneath Remus' pajama shirt to feel his hot skin. Remus growled in Sirius' ear and suddenly he found himself on the floor with the wind slightly knocked out him. He blinked and marveled at how quickly their positions had changed as he stared up at Remus, who was now straddling his hips. Remus' sandy brown hair fell into Sirius' eyes as Remus leaned down and caught his lower lip between his teeth, his tongue flicking out against it and then plunging into his mouth desperately. Remus' trembling fingers managed to open the clasp on Sirius' robes and he had to stop touching Remus long enough to allow him to pull them off completely. Sirius was trying hard to control himself, but the sensations were becoming almost too much for him. While Remus continued to kiss him crazy, Sirius gripped his hips hard and pressed up against him, bringing attention to his arousal, as if Remus couldn't smell it coming off of him in waves. Sirius began to tremble slightly as he felt Remus' hands moving down his chest, slowly making their way to the waist of his jeans. He gasped into Remus' mouth when he tugged open the button of his jeans, then moving on to the zipper.

The two boys were so engrossed in the taste and feel of each other that the outside world was entirely blocked out to them. As far as they were concerned, no one, nothing else mattered but this moment. The walls around them crumbled painfully, when the outside world came flooding back to them, making itself known in what sounded a lot like a woman screaming. Remus threw himself off of Sirius, landing beside him propped up on his elbows. Sirius quickly developed the same stance, ignoring the fact that his fly was open and his white t-shirt was pushed up above his navel. Standing a few feet away from them was James, pointing a trembling finger at them, his mouth opening and closing in astonishment. Finally, their friend managed to speak, although rather badly. "Y-you......a-and you...what-with the kissing and boy parts all over other boy parts and no girl parts and....w-what?" James managed to stutter out in confusion. He finally managed to lower his finger, letting his hand fall to his side as he continued to stare at his two best friends, mussed and fussed from snogging each other crazy. "I didn't ever take you two for a couple of pouftas-NOT that there's anything wrong with that, mind you, I just.... ya know? Ya know? And, well, Lily always thought you were a little nelly, Moony, but you were always such a lady's man, Sirius, that I never could have guessed. I should have, shouldn't I have? No, ya know what? I'm gonna go now, I'm going to let you two snog and I'm going to go far, far away from this place where my two best friends snog and get naked together because this place leads to madness." James turned away from them, but continued to mutter to himself as he made his way back up to the dorm, leaving Remus and Sirius staring after him.

As soon as he was gone the two of them looked at each other and began to loudly laugh. Remus fell back and giggled uncontrollably as leaned over and chuckled against his lips, placing little kisses over his face and wrapping arms around him. They continued laughing as they kissed each other crazy. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_I'm elated_

I could cut you

and remove the sheath of your ignorance 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

The End


End file.
